Sharing Dance in the Classroom


Get your class moving and meet your dance curriculum requirements!

Canada’s National Ballet School (NBS) offers a suite of free online creative movement resources, developed by world-renowned dance experts and teachers. Let NBS help you meet curriculum needs and bring the joy and benefits of dance to your students. No dance experience required to facilitate or participate!

Resources include:
  • Engaging step-by-step on demand videos
  • Curriculum-linked lesson plans
  • Teaching guides
  • Built-in assessment and evaluation
NBS’ online resources will help you:
  • Achieve dance curriculum expectations
  • Assess and report on dance expectations
  • Design long-range plans
  • Teach the elements of dance
  • Keep your students physically active for full lessons
  • Watch, reflect, and appreciate dance
  • Build physical literacy, fundamental movement skills
  • Improve movement competence and confidence
  • Engage students in experiential learning
  • Experience the creative process
  • Sequence dance lessons thoughtfully
  • Make meaningful cross-curricular connections
 
Educator Roadmap
Get Dancing!Watch and AnalyzeSharing Dance
 
Looking for guidance about how dance can fit into your curriculum planning? Below you will find introductions to NBS' library of resources, along with suggested steps for how to introduce dance to your students. If you have any questions about NBS' resources, or strategies for introducing dance to your students, please email sharingdance@nbs-enb.ca.

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Get Dancing!
Exploring and creating movement

Get your classroom moving! Learn the elements of dance, engage in the creative process, and explore artistic identity. These resources help students make their own creative choices and build physical literacy, competence and confidence with new movements and dance forms.

Dance on Demand

Dance on Demand

Themed creative movement activities that build physical literacy skills using elements of dance as a foundation. Designed for grades 1-6, with curriculum connections to dance, phys-ed, science, and music.

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cross curricular and choreographic units

Cross-Curricular Units

Demonstration videos and accompanying lesson plans will support you in integrating dance across subject areas. Designed for grades 3-6 (grades 7+ coming soon), with curriculum connections to dance, phys-ed, science, language, and geography.

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The Activity Library

The Activity Library

All activities in this library are supported by video demonstration and detailed, printable activity plans. The activities are divided into four categories: welcome, warm-up, dance and reflect. Designed for grades 1-6, with curriculum connections to dance, and phys-ed.

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Observing Critically
Understanding and appreciating dance

These resources help students develop reflection, analysis, and active observation skills, as well as understand the meaning, history, and context of different dance works and dance forms.
NBS students in performance

Fall in Love with Ballet Series and Resources

This rich digital resource includes performances and supporting materials that have been curated to provide viewers with a glimpse—through the lens of young artists—into the beautiful world of ballet. Designed for grades 4-12, with curriculum connections to dance, writing, media literacy, and social studies.

Explore the series

Beyond Moving Educational Kit

Engage your students in a comprehensive study of Vikram Dasgupta’s film "Beyond Moving". All resources included can be used in person or assigned to your students virtually. Designed for grades 9-12+, with curriculum connections to dance, media studies, and social studies.

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Angela Gladue Artist Study

Join artist Angela Gladue for a study of powwow and hip hop dance! Students can follow along with her step-by-step instructional videos. Designed for grades 4-8 with curriculum connections to dance, music, and social studies.

Start Dancing

Sharing Dance
Connecting and collaborating through dance

These resources support students as they learn a piece of original choreography alongside dancers of all ages and abilities around Canada. You also have an option of engaging your students through a national online event that celebrates the power of dance.
NBS Sharing Dance Choreography

2021 NBS Sharing Dance Choreography

Each year, Canada’s National Ballet School commissions a Canadian artist to create a piece of choreography that embodies a thoughtful theme. The choreography is divided into small sections and taught through set-by-step video resources, adapted for ages 6 to 100+.

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NBS Sharing Dance Day

NBS Sharing Dance Day 2021

Participate in NBS Sharing Dance Day 2021, a national digital broadcast to celebrate the joy, creativity and community of dance. Dance along with Canadian artists as they share and teach a diversity of dance styles, introduce you to new music rhythms, and more.

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Explore NBS' full resource library

Click below to access the library of resources in NBS' online learning space. 

Explore Resources

Art has an amazing ability to heal, to connect…during COVID-19 my students need an outlet. To see dance resources that give a sense of normalcy is amazing. To keep them motivated, to keep them excited about something new and to keep them inspired that there are beautiful things out there.

— Elementary school teacher,

Learn More about NBS

Sharing Dance Story

Lili's Story

“I’m not a dance teacher. I’ve never taught dance before. [But] I have to teach dance.” Lili Steer, a Grade 8 teacher, finds the answer in Sharing Dance Kids resources, and watches as her students excel. 
A group of NBS Alumni.

NBS celebrates 60 years

NBS is marking six decades of evolution and looking ahead to our vision for the future. It’s a vision of leadership that touches more communities, more partners, and a greater breadth and depth of talent than ever before.
NBS students in performance

Support Canada's National Ballet School

Canada’s National Ballet School is committed to sharing the transformative power of dance with Canadians of all ages, abilities and aspirations. During this uncertain and difficult time, your support will help more Canadians experience the joy and benefits of dance.